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Rare - 1960`s Vostok Russian Military Komandirskie 17 Jewels Mechanical Watch
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Product information
Own something really unique!
This unique Vostok Russian Military Komandirskie watch is in good working condition, despite being about 56 years old. The winding mechanism works as it should and the watch runs smoothly. The Vostok Watch Company was officially appointed during the 1960's by the Military to manufacture watches for military use. Each unit commander was issued a Komandirskie watch as a token of appreciation for their dedicated service. There were many different units in the Russian Military, and we were lucky to acquire some of these watches.
Russian watches have become sought-after due to their uniqueness and build quality. There is just something about the Russians's ability to manufacture mechanical items which last forever - here the T34 tank, AK47, Fed and Kiev cameras, Sikorsky helicopters, MIG fighter planes, Antonov cargo planes and Sukhoi Aerobatic planes come to mind.
The history of Vostok:
The Vostok Watch Makers company was founded in 1942 when one of the Moscow watch-making plants of the First Moscow Watch Factory was evacuated to Chrostopol, a small town located on the Kama River in Tatarstan. Only defence equipment was produced during the war years, but as soon as the war was over the company started making mechanical wrist watches. However, the company did not begin using the "Vostok" brand name until the 1960s. Presumably, the "Vostok" brand was named after the Vostok Space Program, as were some other soviet watch brands, namely Poljot and Raketa.
The company was appointed an official supplier of watches for the Ministry of Defence of the Soviet Union in 1965. This year also marks the creation of the well known Komandirskie ("Commander's") watch. The experience gained through development of the army watch led to the Amphibia , a stainless-steel diving watch able to withstand a 200 metre depth (20atm). By 1980, Vostok Watch Makers was producing 4.5 million timepieces per year.
Komandirskie watches were sold exclusively through Voentorg stores, which catered to military personnel with identification only. Today, these models have become sought-after collectibles.